Palace lauds House for passing budget on 2nd reading

Malacañang on Saturday lauded the House of Representatives for passing the P1.816-trillion proposed budget for 2012 on second reading before midnight Friday, saying it will pave the way for the passage of the budget before year end. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also voiced hopes the budget will encounter smooth sailing the rest of the way and be approved early. “Happy tayo na naipasa on second reading ang budget natin. It was at 11.29 p.m. Masaya tayo on time nag-commit kasi ang congressmen," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She said the Palace is heartened that like last year, the budget appears to be on the way to being passed before the year ends. If it is passed before year end, she said there will be no need for the government to work on a reenacted budget starting Jan. 1, 2012. Before midnight Friday, the House of Representatives passed the proposed budget despite legal questions raised by members of the minority. The congressmen left untouched the controversial provisions on the additional P16 billion for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program and the P23.4 billion special purpose fund for unfilled government positions. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. thanked his colleagues for passing the proposed budget for 2012, formally known as House Bill (HB) 5023, “in record time." Once the bill is passed on third and final reading, it will be submitted to the Senate. — LBG, GMA News